Screening of preservatives by HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS: A focus on both allowed and recently forbidden compounds in the new EU cosmetics regulation

[Display omitted] •A HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS method for the simultaneous detection and quantification of 17 preservatives in cosmetics.•The most frequently utilised preservatives.•The recently banned parabens in cosmetics.•Application to the analysis of cosmetic products with different composition and usage. Commission regulation (EU) No 358/2014 amending the new regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetics has prohibited the use of isopropyl-, isobutyl-, phenyl-, benzyl- and pentylparaben. Furthermore, Commission regulation (EU) No 1004/2014 has lowered the maximum permitted concentration of butyl- and propylparaben in cosmetics and it has also banned them in leave-on products designed for application on the nappy area of children under three years of age. A HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS method has been developed herein for the detection of seventeen preservatives, both the most utilised and the recently forbidden by the new EU regulations. The separation of these compounds, including benzoic acid and its derivatives in a 1.10 − 3.04 log Pow range, has been performed with a gradient elution on a Symmetry® C18 column (250×4.6mm i.d., particle size 5μm) with water and acetonitrile (0.1% formic acid) as mobile phase. Quantification has been carried out by HPLC-PDA. The method has been validated and successfully applied to the analysis of a large number of cosmetics with different functions like rinse-off and leave-on, or composition like skin, hair, face and oral products.